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Chamonix Travel Diary: Part 6

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It’s been just over two weeks since we returned from Chamonix, and already I’m craving French food and long walks in the mountains. My nostalgia got me thinking; what better way to remedy my withdrawal symptoms than with a blog post? I have yet to publish the photo diaries from my last few days in France, so now seemed as good a time as any.

A walk alongside the river to La Praz is perfect for a mild day in Chamonix. We headed back via train and wound up in our favourite omelette restaurant…yes an entire restaurant dedicated to omelettes. Afterwards we went for another walk around the outskirts of town, and to the mountainerring/crystal museum. Unfortunately it seemed as though we chose the worst time to leave as we were greeted with torrential rain. So we ran through town, ducking and hiding under canopies before deciding that cake and hot chocolate were in store. After only a few minutes of nibbling on a Mont Blanc we had already forgotten about our wet clothes and the impending walk back to the apartment.

bloomzy /

A London Life… in Shoreditch

 Yellow Stripe Bag by Hanelca, at Luna and Curious
 
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 Coffee break (Fika) at Fika, on Brick Lane
Tote bag by Wonderound

A London Life is a new photo diary series I have decided to start on the blog. I often get friends from outside of London, be it from Norfolk or as far away as Tokyo, asking me for more of an insight (read: less touristy) into the city. So I’ve decided to upload a series of photo diaries of my adventures/life in London. I won’t be including massively long descriptions in these posts, unless needed. Instead, I’ll be adding short and sweet tag lines and links to the photos e.g. “Coffee Break at Fika, on Brick Lane”.

If you have any questions always feel free to comment or tweet me.
As always, if there’s anything you’d like to see, let me know.

View more of the  ‘A London Life…’ series

bloomzy /

Baking Beautiful with Eric Lanlard and Cake Boy

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Thanks to the popularity of TV shows such as The Great British Bake Off I’m sure that most of us would love to have a top patisserie chef on-hand to bake sweet treats whenever it takes our fancy. Unfortunately that isn’t a reality for most people (and if it is for you…can I borrow him/her for the day?), but last week I was invited to a private event at Cake Boy for a masterclass in baking with Eric Lanlard.

Joking aside I’d much rather learn how to bake than have someone do it for me, so I was over the moon when I received my invite. After a champagne reception we were sat down in the Cake Boy kitchen, where owner Eric Lanlard walked us through how to make his Red Velvet Cheesecake and West Indies Chocolate Tart. Along the way he gave us some handy tips for baking, and more than a few laughs. He told us how a red velvet cake should never be bright red, and if it is then it’s probably just a regular sponge with food dye in it (a sneaky trick used by a lot of supermarkets) – a top tip for those who like to source their cakes outside of their own kitchen. As for those who prefer to bake at home, Eric dispelled the age old myth of not opening your oven door whilst baking – good to know. Although my favourite tip of the night was when Eric explained that when baking with chocolate it should always be served at room temperature, “like a red wine it needs time to breathe.” Afterwards we were given our own mini (read: adorable) red velvet cakes to decorate with white chocolate butter cream. After a bit of a kerfuffle with my piping bag, I think it’s safe to say I won’t be leaving blogging for a career in baking anytime soon.

We left the event with a signed copy of Eric’s latest cookbook Totally Chocolate and a 9-Speed Kitchen Aid Hand Mixer so we could create our own beautiful bakes at home. I had a lovely evening and it has really inspired me to get back into baking, in fact I already have some cookies in the oven.

For more of Eric’s tips on baking head over to the Curry’s blog.

bloomzy /

A Peek Inside… My Little Parisienne Box

The package read ‘from France’ and my heart skipped a beat. It came, it finally came. There’d been no dispatch email so I hadn’t been expecting it. Something which added to the mystery of the whole process. Yes, I’m talking about my first monthly subscription box from My Little Box.

This month’s theme is ‘My Little Parisienne Box’. An arrangement which I myself was incredibly happy with. Before I opened my package I told myself that I had been waiting for this (for the brand to come over to the UK) for years, so I shouldn’t hype it up too much. As soon as I opened the parcel and saw the box itself, all my logic went out the window. It was adorable, and that’s just the outside. As for the inside…

What was inside My Little Parisienne Box?
– Illustration by Kanako
– Notebook (including an introduction to the brand)
– Parisienne 3D stickers
– Laptop sleeve
– Laura Mercier Foundation Primer
– Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse
– My Little Beauty highlighter pen
– Drawstring pouch

What did I think?
I know the first box to a new subscription always tries to impress, but I can’t believe the effort gone into this one. Everything from the outside to the inner flows, mainly helped along by Kanako’s delightful illustrations. As for the contents of the box, I thought they fit the theme wonderfully. Chic stationary for the busy lady? Check. French beauty favourites? Check. Happy? Check. Separately the items don’t seem to add up to much, but together and put alongside the theme, they really are lovely. I wasn’t sure if I would use the stickers, but after reading the suggestions I added a few to my laptop and I’m overjoyed with how fabulous they look on it. I am beyond excited at the prospect of using all of the beauty products (although I’ll be keeping the Nuxe oil as an extra to the one I already own), and I’ve already placed my illustration on my wall, and the notebook in my handbag. If the rest of my ‘My Little Box’ subscriptions are half as good as this, I will be more than satisfied. It’s whimsical, it’s chic and most of all it fits perfectly into my lifestyle.

If you fancy subscribing yourself, head to My Little Box.

bloomzy /

Chamonix Travel Diary: The Foodie Factor

One day in particular I found myself taking more than my usual share of food photos, so I thought I’d round them all up in one post. Whether it’s a sweet snack, or a regional speciality I always have time for French food.

They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day (although I beg to differ) but it’s not always easy to choose what to eat. The typical French breakfast is simple; croissant, maybe a pain au chocolate, bread, butter and jam. It’s a carb overload, but boy is it satisfying. Fresh French bread can not be beaten, and even though I’m not a convert to croissants, I don’t mind this particular offering.

Bread does leave me slightly full though, so instead of a ‘proper’ lunch I opted for an English take on a French favourite – macarons with tea. The French supermarkets may carry a wide selection of teas, but I can never find a particularly decent one, usually having to settle for imported British tea. How English is that? I can’t even last a week without a cup of tea. Anyway, I do enjoy pairing teas with sweet snacks such as cake or chocolate, but macarons have to be one of my all time favourites. Can you believe I originally discovered this amazing treat in Japan, not France? I don’t know how I’d managed to miss them for all those years, but it was the Japanese who wowed me with their own unique versions. True, matcha and sakura are not your typical flavours in France, but I can always go for pistache, cafe, or chocolat.

Now as for dinner…

The overuse of cheese to some, is complete heaven to me. I’ve always loved cheese and would gladly give up all other foods for it. So of course a fondue was on the cards whilst we were in Chamonix. In fact fondue is always on the cards in this particular region. It’s a speciality, and you’ll find it in almost every restaurant. Some do it better than others (I speak from experience), and it doesn’t just come with bread (I always recommend potatoes and ham). You’ll probably want to share with someone, although I’ve tackled one by myself and come out alive on the other side. Speaking of the other side… after all that cheese you may want something a bit sweeter, and my personal favourite is Coupe Mont Blanc – an almost sickeningly sweet ice cream dessert topped with pureed chestnut and cream. It’s safe to say I’ve been hunting it down in London since I first had it several years ago. Alas I have had no luck so I knew I had to have it during our trip. Our waiter winked at me as he place the dessert in front of me. It was as if he knew I’d waited a whole year for this…so he’d given me a whole years worth to eat. Everyone around me laughed (with me), but little did they know I’d easily demolish it…and demolish it I did.

bloomzy /

Chamonix Travel Diary: Part 5

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Yesterday was all about getting back to nature. We hopped on the train and headed to Servoz, a small village that reminded both of us of our time in the Japanese countryside (thanks to the lush greenery and the lack of anything apart from a train station). Walking through the village and small hamlets we happened upon a house that I am 100% certain either has been, or must be featured in the next Wes Anderson movie. It’s perfect, right? I wonder if it’s for sale…

Servoz was not our final destination though, we were there to find the Gorges de la Diosaz. The gorge has seen the public walk it’s paths for hundreds of years…even at night (no thanks!). The trail starts with a cave that tells a rather sad story, and a monument dedicated to a poet who died at the gorge. The walk continues with a variety of bittersweet stories and facts about the area. The various waterfalls that litter the gorge aren’t very strong at this time of year (Spring is better), but they were still impressive. The steep footpaths that wrap around and over the gorge are worth visiting for alone though, as they offer spectacular views. The gorge itself is a thing of beauty, and it’s almost humbling to walk the footpath and be reminded that humans can’t control nature (although some of us would like to think otherwise). The walk is around an hour and a half, with plenty of stunning views and hidden secrets to find. The inscriptions carved into the rocks and the remains of the old footpaths in particular made me feel as though I’d been transported into another world.

Les Gorges de la Diosaz has reminded me of how wonderful and magical nature really is.

bloomzy /

‘My Little Box’ is My New Little Obsession

A couple of years ago I heard about an adorable looking monthly subscription box from France, called My Little Box. It looked wonderful, with each box being centred around a specific theme such as ‘My Little London Box’ or ‘My Little Smile Box’. I secretly hoped it would one day hit UK shores.

Well luckily for me a little email dropped into my inbox last night, informing me that subscriptions had opened for the new UK version of My Little Box. I was beyond giddy and rushed to find my purse, signing up within minutes of receiving my email. The irony is not lost on me that I signed up for the UK box whilst currently residing in France, but that just makes it easier for me to return home next week. The boxes themselves feature not only beauty products (from My Little Beauty) but accessories, lifestyle items, illustrations and more. Previous boxes have even included clothing!

The first box’s name has been revealed as ‘My Little Parisienne Box’ and I’m ridiculously excited.
You know I’ll be blogging about it as soon as I get my hands on it!

If you fancy signing up yourself, it costs £11 a month (plus £3.95 p&p). You can subscribe at My Little Box.

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